Author: /u/OldBorder

Hi everyone,

I have an update to my former post in June about how to deal with baby roaches coming up the shower drain when you live in an older apartment in Montrose. Many of you chimed in with helpful advice, sympathy and even some people said they were in similar situations!

My landlord remodeled my shower and applied pest control in the bathroom a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t be in the apartment for 3 days because of all of the dust. The shower has new tile, looks great, is very easy to clean and I think the drain may have been changed. I’m not sure what exactly is different, but the standing shower is more elevated and larger than before. The drain itself may be different too. There have been no roach activity since. The shower was in desperate need of remodeling before, but the old landlord didn’t anything.

Before, I was sprinkling boric acid powder after each shower to fight against the roaches. Now, there is no roach activity, and I am going to pour down enzyme cleaner down the drain every month as a preventative measure against clogs.

I think everyone deserves to live in a safe and affordable home that they can call their own, ESPECIALLY during coronavirus quarantine. I want to thank everyone for providing insight and being kind to me during a time where I hated my bathroom and felt gross after taking a shower. I hope that you all are able to take care of your basic needs in your own homes, whether they are rented or owned, and thank you so much for everything.

Please stay safe, everyone! Take care.

Hi everyone, hope everyone is staying safe and cool during this very hot June. I live in one of those older garage apartments in Montrose and have been seeing increased roach activity in my shower in June, especially with daily 90+ degree weather.

I don’t have a tub, just a standing shower. The pipes are metal, old and prone to backups. I used to see a a couple of dead baby American roaches on my bathroom floor in the summer, but now I am seeing live baby roaches that come up from the drain. They fit through the small holes on the metal drain cover I have (please see picture here). I don’t see full grown American roaches, and my apartment does not have the small German roaches.

In previous summers, I would pour a bit of bleach down the drain and would not see any live bugs in the shower. Is that the best course of action for these old Montrose apartment pipes? The plumber of the apartment says that is OK to do, and I just want to confirm.

Also, does anyone have any other recommendations I could follow to attack these baby roaches in the shower? I have Bengal spray (not sure how that could help in a drain), Boric acid (may not be effective when water comes), Combat roach gel and roach motel traps.

Thanks so much for your advice. I am trying to keep a sane head in quarantine and reduce my anxiety. I was feeling alone and scared on how to deal with this, so I appreciate the wisdom from my fellow Houstonians. Thanks again and God bless.